K&N AND CHILDREN OF FALLEN PATRIOTS FOUNDATION NAMED TITLE RIGHTS SPONSORS OF NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES EVENT AT ROUTE 66 RACEWAY

20th Annual Event To Be Held July 6-9

GLENDORA, Calif. (June 14, 2017) – K&N Engineering has signed an agreement to become the title rights sponsor of the upcoming NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event at Route 66 Raceway, NHRA officials announced today. As part of the agreement, K&N has teamed up with its charity partner, The Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation, for the race, which takes place July 6-9.

The 20th Annual Children of Fallen Patriots NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by K&N is the 13th of 24 events, officially kicking off the second half of the 2017 season. Route 66 Raceway will celebrate its 20th year of NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series racing in 2017, as the state-of-the-art facility has treated the Chicago area to thrilling action for two decades. Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners of an event that will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1, including live final eliminations coverage starting at 3 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, July 9.

“Route 66 Raceway has long been one of the premiere facilities that NHRA races at during the course of the year and we anxiously await the Children of Fallen Patriots NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by K&N,” said Brad Gerber, NHRA vice president and chief development officer. “K&N and NHRA have been partners for many years, and it great to see them team up with The Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation for this race to help spread awareness for their important cause.”

A longtime NHRA sponsor, K&N Engineering is headquartered in Riverside, Calif., and is the world's leading manufacturer of washable performance air filters, cabin air filters and air intake systems. Since inventing the reusable high flow cotton air filter in 1969, K&N has continued to perfect the technology, selling air filters, oil filters, and air intakes in more than 30 countries.

“We are very excited to extend our title sponsorship of the NHRA Route 66 Nationals Presented by K&N for another year,” expressed Jesse Spungin, K&N’s Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. “This year we are also proud to be able to co-sponsor the event with our primary charity partner, The Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation. Bringing awareness to such a worthy cause is important to everyone here at K&N.”

The Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation honors the sacrifices of fallen military heroes by ensuring the success of their children through college education. Since 2002, Children of Fallen Patriots has provided nearly $17 million in total assistance, including college scholarships, supplemental grants and educational counseling to military children who have lost a parent in the line of duty. For more info, visit fallenpatriots.org.

“Fallen Patriots is very grateful to K&N, the NHRA and Route 66 Raceway for their support of our mission and military families.” said David Kim, Co-founder and CEO of Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation. “The best way we can honor the thousands of military service men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation is to ensure the success of those they loved best – their children. A college or trade school education is the key to that success and the bright future they deserve.”

Along with the exciting on-track action, the Children of Fallen Patriots NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by K&N will honor first responders with NHRA’s “Salute to First Responders” celebration.

As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they’re granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. This unique opportunity in motorsports gives fans direct access to the teams, allowing them to see firsthand the highly-skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds, and get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers.

Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 5:15 and 7:45 p.m. on Friday, July 7 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, July 8, at 3:15 and 6 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 12 p.m. on Sunday, July 9.

Headquartered in Glendora, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 24 national events featuring the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and the NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style presented by AAA. NHRA also offers NHRA Jr. Street program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League for youth ages 5 to 17. In addition, NHRA owns and operates four racing facilities: Atlanta Dragway in Georgia; Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis; and Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California. For more information, log on to NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.